I just thought I'd ask this as it's come up in threads a couple of times recently, but how much are people into the official in game lore associated with Chaos Reborn?

I don't know if it's just me, but I find it a flat zero. It just leaves me feeling nothing in its current form.

It's a strange thing, cause often in games I do get some form of 'buy in' to the backstory behind it, but here it doesn't happen. I wonder if it's because I'm seeing CR as a PvP game primarily and it's usually single player games that I get more invested in storywise.

It's certainly not a TBS think as I love the backstory behind Blackguards, and Shadowrun, even Dwarf Run entertained me.

Anyway, I'd be genuinely interested in how other people feel. Do you enjoy the lore of CR, if so why in particular? Or like me, do you avoid it, and again if so what is it missing?

Personally, i find it a sort of oddity in context to the game. Chaos reborn doesn't really lend itself to being a typical roleplaying game due to it's game mechanics...I'm puzzled as to why allen stroud was recruited to write this fleshed out lore for the game, but in the end, I loved the novel he wrote (supposed to be a trilogy, though it's hard to say if that'll ever happen)

I think the novel alone could carry the brand of chaos's lore, though if utilized correctly, could be a neat bit of flavor to add to the game.

That said, I don't think I'd mind either way, I'm mainly just using it as a backbone for practicing my creative writing. lol!

The official lore was never intended to be the be-all, end-all of the game. It was meant to be a spring-board. In that regard, it has succeeded. A number of online realms and in fact the entirety of the offline campaign draw from it.

Also, as-is, the game does not reflect the full vision from the Kickstarter that would have helped give more opportunity and context for the lore to have meaning. Most development and resources went in to iterating core match gameplay mechanics and formats, limiting much of the investment in to developing fully the singleplayer and social rpg elements of the game in which lore would have been most relevant. As such, most of our committed playerbase cares most about PvP and coop gameplay. Thus, additional updates generally focus on building out upon these strengths.

The game allows players to ignore the lore in its entirety if they wish or embrace it as they wish. In that context, it seems rather pointless to criticize something that can be safely ignored. To me, it's as pointless as a debate over whether strawberry ice cream is better than vanilla. Ultimately, our preferences are a matter of taste.

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There are realm creators and a few of us who are using the lore as a basis for wizard/guild rp. I love how the characteristics of the units and staffs mirror themes in the lore guide. I'll get to the paperback novel soon enough. maybe one day, the radio production.

I posted elsewhere, but I think the lore basis from allen stroud is brilliant and can support further spin-offs of Chaos Reborn, in theory. Othrek and I are the one's in Hegemony who are into weaving roleplay elements into our gaming. Even players who aren't directly involved are amenable to joining our unique story-mode custom games and special rules just for the variety.

@SpiteandMalice, its a huge stretch but i've imagined cephalopods as a highly advanced Xenos race dominating a large swath of the galaxy. The species is hyper-sapient. They are organized in byzantine hierarchies heeding the whims of an inchoate, powerful deity wielding countless tentacles. Their only weakness is a tendency towards needless cruelties and sophisticated sadisms. The Cephalopods would have it all if the fractured realms weren't held in contempt as a primitive backwater. Their recent presence in the fractured realms and subtle manipulations of the portal network following their victory in a major inter-order hastilude last year are inconvenient realities reflexively ignored and denied by Limbo and the manifold demesnes. Finally, their purpose among us is inscrutable; ominous - for they are the Bullies of the Stars.

Glas Masv wrote:
@SpiteandMalice, its a huge stretch but i've imagined cephalopods as a highly advanced Xenos race dominating a large swath of the galaxy. The species is hyper-sapient. They are organized in byzantine hierarchies heeding the whims of an inchoate, powerful deity wielding countless tentacles. Their only weakness is a tendency towards needless cruelties and sophisticated sadisms. The Cephalopods would have it all if the fractured realms weren't held in contempt as a primitive backwater. Their recent presence in the fractured realms and subtle manipulations of the portal network following their victory in a major inter-order hastilude last year are inconvenient realities reflexively ignored and denied by Limbo and the manifold demesnes. Finally, their purpose among us is inscrutable; ominous - for they are the Bullies of the Stars.